Customer Reviews

Secrets, Lies and Family Ties

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sylvia Hubbard nevers fails to present intriguing stories that keep you saying "OMG, no she didn't!" The main characters Ezekiel and Grae belong together. Their road to romance is rocky with their own hangups, interfering friends, so-called friends, and Zeke's dad. There is no such thing as a smooth relationship in Ms. Hubbard's stories and I thank her for it. I always hate for the story to end but there's always another Sylvia Hubbard story on the way. If you haven't read any of her stories, you are in for a real treat.

Have you ever wanted to return to a place in time to claim the heart of the one person you truly loved? What would you do if given the opportunity? In high school, Grae, loved the most popular guy in her class. Not only was he out of her reach, he was popular, rich and white. She was overweight and one of the few African-American students who attended the prestigious Greenlow Academy.

Grae returns for her class reunion, several pounds lighter, but still full of doubt about whether she's good enough for the one man she has always loved. Fate will give her an opportunity to claim the man of her dreams and find out who and what is really important in her life.

Sylvia Hubbard captivates the reader with a tantalizing look at interracial love, money, greed and friendship. Bravo! You've done it again Sylvia.

Reviewed by Jacqueline Moore

for the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Author, Sylvia Hubbard has written a wonderful sensual tale of intrigue and family drama in her latest release, Secrets, Lies & Family Ties. The novel is a very different blend of sex, betrayal, family secrets, murder and corporate espionage written by a very imaginative writer.

The story opens as the characters prepare to attend the first reunion ten years after graduation from GreenLow's Academy, a private high school. The main character, Grae still held issues from her high school experience. She was the overweight and not so attractive young girl who had lost her mother and had never known her father. She was on scholarship being raised by a lawyer who was her guardian. A very focused student, she never had the time to enjoy the normal activities of teen life. She was determined to succeed and become the smartest Black woman on the planet.

Ten years later; it looked like she had accomplished her goal. She had come to the reunion with hopes of reuniting with Ezekiel without him being aware of who she really was. From that point on, the storyline got hot and heavy. Hubbard's tale of mystery and intrigue was what readers would call a real roller coaster ride. I was not prepared for some of the highs and lows and the dips and turns as this story unfolded. I just loved this book.

Grae, a shy and reclusive young woman stepped out of the box and gave the arrogant and deceitful Zeke a real run for his money. She became the woman of his dreams that he just had to capture. As the real story of her parentage was revealed and so many family secrets of the other characters were told, the bits and pieces came together that gave the reader an ending they never expected. I was hooked as Hubbard's story wove a tale of betrayal, murder and secrets way beyond my imagination. If you are tired of the usual stories that one can easily guess at, then Secrets, Lies & Family Ties is the book for you. You'll love the different personalities of her characters, her descriptive settings and the fast paced action in this novel.

Idrissa Uqdah for AALBC

I am still reading, and have no idea how the story ends...but had to post an immediate review! Very rarely do I read romance/erotic or any genre of the like, but after reading the first page I could not put the book down! This book has it all- Action, Love, Suspense, Humor... MY TYPE OF READING!

This book is a must read for readers of all genres.

It took me less than 2 days to read this book. The story line was good and the characters were interesting. Ms. Hubbard shows the potential to be a great author. She just needs a publisher who can help her hone her skills as a writer. The book had many typos and grammatical flaws which sometimes distracted from the enjoyment. I didn't feel she deserved 5 stars but I also didn't feel she deserved 3 stars or less.

Another reviewer said this work was self-published. I would love for a publisher such as Indigo to take this book and sharpen the rough edges and re-release it. Ms. Hubbard is basically an excellent story teller.

Grae and Ezekiel's love was purer than their pasts. Who knew that they had more in common than the same high school? Or that so many people would despise their pending union.

As interracials go, this storyline broke from the usual path of people despising a mixed couple's union due to cultural differences. No, people wanted Grae and Ezekiel apart for more sinister reasons. Sylvia, did a great job of unveiling those reasons in a most skillful manner, which kept me as a reader turning the pages until I reached the THE END.

A great read!

Back in the early 70's, Charlotte Reed was the love of every young man's life at Greenlow Academy. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte's daughter Grae Reed is attending the same academy thanks to her guardian. Charlotte dies when Grae is fourteen with no one to care for her. Gus Walter steps in, becomes her guardian, and sends her to the same academy that he and Charlotte attended. Arriving at Greenlow, Grae bumps into the most attractive man she's ever seen, falling in love instantly. Grae goes through her entire four years at the academy following him around. Also known as the Pig Faced Zombie, Grae will never in a million years believe Ezeikel Chambers would ever love her.

Greenlow's 10-year class reunion is here, and Grae's best friend and roommate Liz begs Grae to attend. Grae is beautiful now; she's shed the weight, lost the glasses and pimples, and is nothing less than stunning. Going up the wrong elevator leads Grae to a private suite that is not the party she had any intentions on attending. Standing in the suite of the love of her life, Grae is speechless. Ezekiel has no idea who Grae is, and he's dying to find out who the woman with the gray eyes is that's had his heart skipping beats after only ten minutes of his time.

Ezeikel Chambers (a.k.a. Zeke) is the hottest bachelor on the market today. Known for being mean and cutthroat, every one has the wrong impression of Zeke because he takes no prisoners in his business or personal life.

When these two come together by a chance meeting, Grae won't reveal her identity and Ezekiel can't get her out of his head. Going against his father's wishes, he falls for a woman he knows his father won't approve of him marrying. However, it's too late to change his feelings and everything from the past must come forward in order for Grae to finally have the love of her life and for Zeke and his father to come to an understanding.

Sylvia Hubbard came with a different twist to a love story. It wasn't that the story was not predictable; it was told well and made you want to know what happened between Grae and Zeke. You also saw how her mother's life played a major roll throughout the story. I found Secrets Lies and Family Ties to be a quick and enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Angie

for Urban Reviews

Good story - hot love scenes and a plot that will hold you - Ms. Hubbard does have quite a few typos in her book - God bless self publishing! I am glad Ms. Hubbard is able to get her stories out. This one is pretty good.

This book was intriguing because it was not your typical everyday love story. There was sensuality, scandal, and so much more! I found it hard to tear myself away from the book when I was reading it and I found myself sad when it was finished. There was also a touch of mystery because just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist or turn would occur that caught me completely off guard! I highly recommend this book!

Monica Marie Jones

Author of FLOSS, The Ups and Downs of Being Round and Taste My Soul

FLOSS

The Ups and Downs of Being Round

Taste My Soul

I did not like this book. It was confusing, very hard to follow. Just when I thought I had the book figured out another plot twist came into view. I would not read this book again and am sorry I purchased it.